Are Republicans giving up on Massachusetts?

What if they have a special election for Ted Kennedy’s seat and the Republicans don’t show up?

Conservatives are in a tizzy over the fact that while national Democratic leaders are giving lots of help to their party’s nominee, Attorney General Martha Coakley, for the Jan. 19 special election, national Republicans are doing practically nothing on behalf of Republican Scott Brown.

GOP U.S. Senate candidate Scott Brown has been all but abandoned by the same national Republican committees that pumped hundreds of thousands in campaign cash to former governors Mitt Romney and William Weld during their long-shot bids for U.S. Senate.

The snub has outraged local Republicans who say national conservatives should be jumping at the chance to nab the first open Senate seat in decades despite Brown’s tough odds in the Jan. 19 special election.

Brown is trying to turn the lack of national party support into an asset. “We’re doing very, very well on our own, and I don’t want to be beholden to anybody at this point.”

But his local allies aren’t so philosophical. Chabot quotes former state Republican chairman Peter Torkildsen: “They need to give Scott a level playing field. It’s one of those rare opportunities that a Republican has a good shot in Massachusetts.”

Fifty thousand dollars? The RNC rather famously gave Dede Scozzafava almost a million dollars in her special-election bid earlier this year in New York’s 23rd Congressional district. Michael Steele came under tremendous criticism for that decision later, when Scozzafava’s liberal political positions became more well known, but in this case, the GOP doesn’t have any other candidate running in the race. And a win by Brown would strip Harry Reid of his 60th vote in the Senate and force Democrats to start working with Republicans to get bills passed.

It’s true that Coakley won her party’s nomination by a landslide, and Massachusetts is one of the most Democratic states in the country. But it has elected a lot of Republican governors, and the GOP gave Democrats a scare in a 2007 special election in the state’s 5th Congressional District, where Democrat Nikki Tsongas edged Republican Jim Ogonowski by 51 percent to 45 percent. It's surprising that Republicans aren't doing more to harass the Democrats in their heartland.

Morrissey thinks that the Bay State, home of one of the nation’s boldest experiments in near-universal health coverage, is the perfect place to fight health-insurance reform. “MassCare has become an expensive flop, and ObamaCare is worse,” Morrissey writes. “All Brown needs is the money and the bullhorn to say, ‘Let’s not make the same mistake twice,’ and he could score an upset over Coakley.”

A nice idea for conservatives, but the evidence suggests it wouldn’t work out that way. Mass Care is actually not a flop, and it’s still rather popular in Massachusetts. A September poll by the Harvard School of Public Health and The Boston Globe found that 59 percent of those surveyed said they favored the state’s insurance initiative. That was down from 69 percent a year ago, but the survey found that only 28 percent surveyed opposed the law, up slightly from 22 percent in a June 2008 survey. In addition, 79 percent wanted the law to continue.

So money and a bullhorn might not be enough after all.

But count on this: If the national GOP continues to sit out the Massachusetts race, conservatives will keep talking about what might have been.

They're giving up on it because by now the type of Republican candidate that'd have a remote chance would be inherently radioactive to the rest of the party. The base of the GVOVWP (Grand Very Old Very White Party) would prefer Democrats keep 60 than for the 41st Republican to be anywhere to the Left of Limbaugh.

Besides, it's not like the 60 caucus votes are all that helpful for the Dems at the moment. The fact that the health care plan that survived the Senate resembles RomneyCare shows how meaningless that number is.

The national Republicans are right, Massachusetts is hopelessly lost to the Democratic pols/public employee cabal that controls the entire northeastern United States from Maine to Maryland.

The comment about the 5th congressional district is irrelevant, as it is one of the few areas even vaguely "conservative" in the state.

And the bill for "Mass Care" is just starting to come due. The program is hardly "popular", has burdened small business, and has only been in affect for a few years-it has a long future of wasteful spending ahead of it.

The only thing Republicans are acting smart about is this race. Of course, they must give it up. Even Republicans comprehend they will not beat Teddy's ghost. And they shouldn't and they won't.
For the rest of them, as they continue to "purge" their party of all those who are less that ultra-rightwingers, they will also "give it up".
Best thing that has happened to the country since at least 1980.

republicons are always quick to waste taxpayer money, always quick to take money from the working class to give to the rich, but are not so quick to waste their own money. Running a republicon for the Kennedy seat is like running a republicon for mayor of Philly. A fools errand.

Us folks up here in the Northeast are getting mighty tired of the republicon nut case party and the red states that always complain about sensible government but come begging to uncle Sam and the weath producing states in our region for handouts. It has been long documented that states in our region pay more in federal taxes than we get returned, whereas those deep red states that love to piddle an moan about federal intrusion and nullification and such bunk consistently take more federal money than they pay in taxes. Cut them off if they don;t want our tax money. There is plenty we can use it on here. if they don't like federal government spending then stop taking so much of it! Piggies.

If by Republicans having some luck in MA you mean that the state legislature is 90% Democratic, that every district and county in the state went for Obama, and that there is not a single Republican major elected official in the state right now, then yes, the Republicans have had some luck in MA.

Massachusetts is a state full of Kennedy butt boys and girls. Why waste the effort on a state of Kennedy sheep? The people of Massachusetts cannot think for themselves so a Republican would not be able to help them.

It is better to acknowledge that some states really are a waste of time. Mass is one. The people in the state will not vote for a conservative. Perhaps a republican in name only. Our country has become divided politically the eastern and western areas are liberal and the mid west less so. Put forth the efforts and money where chances are best. California and Washington can be written off as well.

Massachusetts is a state full of Kennedy butt boys and girls. Why waste the effort on a state of Kennedy sheep? The people of Massachusetts cannot think for themselves so a Republican would not be able to help them.

Posted by: hz9604 | December 29, 2009 8:56 PM | Report abuse

If you don't read the comments section, you miss the sort of insight you won't find anywhere else. Smart people post here. Smart people.

If they have, it might be because they've seen Martha Coakley in action: this is a very savvy lady, well-organized, well-supported and deservedly so: it's taken MA a long time to prepare to have its first woman Senator, but finally....

I assume that, in order for you to report in a fair and non-biased manner, you will write an article about all of the races where the DNC is failing to support Dem candidates, such as in several races in the South where they have no hope of winning, especially in light of the Obamacare debacle. The Mass race is simply a decision about a reasonable allocation of resources -- far left Mass. is a lost cause for the GOP, just as many southern states are lost causes for the Dems. I'll keep watching for your fair reporting, EJ -- don't disappoint me.

I assume that, in order for you to report in a fair and non-biased manner, you will write an article about all of the races where the DNC is failing to support Dem candidates, such as in several races in the South where they have no hope of winning, especially in light of the Obamacare debacle

assume anything you want

in the 2008 election, Democrats contested more than 420 of the 435 congressional districts

it's safe to assume you've never heard of the 50 State Project, and it is safe to assume that you haven't been paying attention to what Howard Dean has been up to for the past 5 years

I think it is fair to say thathistory teaches that Mass has given up on the Republican party, for the most part. Until tthe RNC can adapt to the needs of the Mass citizens they will continue to lose there and rightfully so!

"Mass Care is ... rather popular in Massachusetts. A September poll ... found that 59 percent ... favored the state’s insurance initiative. That was down from 69 percent a year ago, but the survey found that only 28 percent surveyed opposed the law, up slightly from 22 percent in a June 2008 survey."

In modern modern statistics, EJ, this is called a trend. And if had a twit, you would see that the trend is running against your position.

But then, Post Puffins don't do analysis. They write about their hopes and dreams of imposing their will on everyone else.

The state is a rotten place to live, unless you love free birth-to-death entitlements. How the White folks there keep electing socialists for leaders is amazing...they'e taxed themselves into eventual collapse. Yuck.

"The state is a rotten place to live, unless you love free birth-to-death entitlements. How the White folks there keep electing socialists for leaders is amazing...they'e taxed themselves into eventual collapse. Yuck."
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Yeah a terrible place that has the finest hospitals, finest colleges, and has faired much better economically than the resy of the nation.

Investing money in Scott Brown's bid to become the junior senator from Massachusetts makes as much sense as the Democratic party underwriting a senate bid in Alabama. It ain't going to happen.

Martha Coakley will be a good Senator for this state. The worst problem she'll have in the special election is keeping Democrat voters from being so confident of her win that they don't show up to vote.

You said "it's safe to assume you've never heard of the 50 State Project, and it is safe to assume that you haven't been paying attention to what Howard Dean has been up to for the past 5 years. keep waiting for that article. it isn't coming any time soon."

Let's see how much money the DNC puts into the 2010 Senate races in Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Alaska, South Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. I'll bet the total of all of those will be less than the combined total put into Nevada and Connecticut to try to bail out Reid and Dodd. Looks like the 50 State Project is down to 40 states, at best.

Massachusetts has been living with two down the line rubber stamp Democrat voters in Kerry and Kennedy. Moakley will do little be vote for what she is told to do while Scott Brown would finally bring some balance and debate to Massachusetts representation. Remember if you do not like this mess of a mis-guided Healthcare bill - Scott Brown's vote would open up the chance for a bipartisan bill that actually might address the issues.

You people who keep saying this "no conservative/Republican can ever win in Mass." stuff have such short memories. The last governor of Mass. before Deval Patrick was MITT ROMNEY! Duh! And in Mass. nobody even knew he was a Mormon, and nobody cared...

I wouldn't say that the GOP is "abandoning" MA. Given the array of election opportunities the Republicans believe exist for them, they are setting priorities. It is hard to compare Scozzafava to Brown. The million bucks the GOP gave to Scozzafava in NY were in the weeks prior to the elections and it was one of only a very few elections this fall. The US Senate elections are 10 months away and it is a regular cycle, so the GOP has to spread the money around. Brown will most likely get more money over the coming months. The Dems do the same. Its called economics and politics.

Republicans should give up on Mass. Our state is full of smart people. We didn't vote for Nixon or Bush. Only dumbos vote Republican. This group of Americans live mostly in the south and oh yes, Alaska. Dumbo Americans vote for people like Palin, Bush, Cheney, etc.. When all Americans smarten up, no Republicans will get elected.

The Boston Herald seems to have amnesia - Weld's bid was not a long-shot; he was a very popular governor against Kerry in 96 and the race was competitive to the end. Romney also wasn't entirely a long-shot - it was 1994 and he was a very serious challenger to Kennedy.

Massachusetts has the same climate as Anchorage, Alaska so very few educated people stay in MA once they become adults. The only people left are the old, young, government and college employees who live off of government so all those groups are Dem voters. I am from there so know the mindset as Republicans are only fit to be governor. Patrick is the first Dem governor in MA in memory and he is a total failure doing everything the unions tell him. Taxachusetts at work.

Brown will run as the anti-affordable health care candidate as well as democrats are weaker than cheney and bush when it comes to homeland security.
He will have to pledge to back Senator DeMint's effort to stop any TSA appointment no matter how well qualified the person is until the person swears to continue hiring H.S. dropouts and absolutely no unionizing.

hz9604 Posted:
"John1263: If you want to talk about who pays fed tax and who gets the fed handouts, start with the Democrat Robert Byrd of West Virginia. He is revered because of it, not criticized."

I believe john1263's point was states which sent more to D.C. verses states which received more from D.C. not the crafty senators who got the extra money. Ted Stevens (R)of Alaska is a perfect example of a senator able to bring home the bacon.
Recall the "bridge to no where" which Sarah Palin was for before she was against it but then she wanted the funds anyway.

This post is accurate, and thoughtful Massachusetts residents from all affiliations Republican, unenrolled and even Democrat are disappointed at our situation. I work with the Brown campaign and have spoken personally with over 1000 voters.

But the biggest problem isn't the lack of GOP support, rather it is the reason behind that. So many claim to have the conventional knowledge that Massachusetts is irreparably a one party state. Even in these comments, people who've never even set foot in my state somehow know this as a fact. My primary goal in this campaign is to take these folks down a couple of pegs.

Senator Brown is actually right - we don't need nat'l GOP support. There are enough motivated fiscal conservatives in this state to upset Coakley in this special election. And all the GOP will do is press for the silly abortion/gay marriage distractions.

Mr. Steele, the northeast Republicans are doing just fine without you and yours.

Why would the Republican Party waste their money in this wasteland of liberal ideology? This is the same state that elects kennedy's without question or pause. If they will elect a drunk that is guilty of manslaughter, then how much class could they have? They are the same fools that keep Bawney Fwank in office, the architect of the financial meltdown. It seems that they are quite content to vote for swindlers and drunks, I don't think the GOP has anyone crooked enough for them.

Hey, up here in the cradle of liberty, home of the real Boston Tea Party, we have the Democrats, with their litany of flaws. We have Harvard, well-spring of communist, marxist, socialist, fascist, pro-health care, pro-Obama, enlightened thought. But we don't have Idiot America, the right-wing conservative, tea bagger, dittohead types whose brainless ideology is poisoning American politics and wrecking the Republican party. For that, Thank Cod.

Good for the Republican leadership...why waste time and money in a state that supports the likes of Ted Kennedy (murdered Mary Jo) and John Kerry (traitor). These noreasterners deserve to have these types of weaklings represent them. Put the Republican money into races where the citizens are patriots.
2010 elections will be a landslide Republican victory party.

I am a political progressive, so you don't need to ask where I stand on this issue. But just read the comments here: "Good for the Republican leadership...why waste time and money in a state that supports the likes of Ted Kennedy (murdered Mary Jo) and John Kerry (traitor)." The right-wingers themselves demonstrate for you why they are fading off the political scene (albeit with a lot of screaming about "Commie!" "Socialism!" "Hitler!".) They are just too crazy to survive. Evolution is moving on. Bring on the Libertarians!

Hey, up here in the cradle of liberty, home of the real Boston Tea Party, we have the Democrats, with their litany of flaws. We have Harvard, well-spring of communist, marxist, socialist, fascist, pro-health care, pro-Obama, enlightened thought. But we don't have Idiot America, the right-wing conservative, tea bagger, dittohead types whose brainless ideology is poisoning American politics and wrecking the Republican party. For that, Thank Cod.
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Enough said as to why the repubs would not compete there...just read Duds tripe. Somewhere in that statement the real america is lost. It must be all the thought of entitled entitlements.

All I know - any state that keeps Barney Frank in power would be a waste of money.

If the national GOP gave up on a run for the Governors office, that would be shocking. MA voters can be surprisingly bipartisan about the meathead they put there. On the national level IIRC there hasn't been a Republican since Sil Conte died in '91. It would be nice if they wasted their money in the MA Senate race, but nobody expects them to be that stupid.

Like you EJ, I am born and raised in Massachusetts but I've lived far afield in several other places for many years. I see every day the biases and ignorance of people from all over (military) and all I can say is, Thank God for Massachusetts! Keepin' it sane.

As someone who lives in Massachusetts, the universal healthcare plan, Commonwealth Cares, is not a panacea. Many doctors won't accept the plans and others are dropping it because they are not paid enough - the same reason why many doctors won't take Medicare patients.
The Commonwealth Cares subsidized plans have seen premiums and co-pays go up while benefits have been cut. Even the cheapest plan under the health exchanges known as the Commonwealth Connector are nearly $400 a month and carry very high deductibles. Some residents have also refused to purchase insurance as mandated by law and instead have chosen to pay a tax (fine) as it's cheaper than buying insurance. The fine is currently over $1,000 a year and increases with each year without insurance. Mandates are just wrong.
As to the senate race, it is deadly dull and Martha Coakley will probably win by default although Scott has tried to make it competitive. Coakley has refused to debate Brown one on one and insists independent candidate Joe Kennedy (no relation to the Kennedys) participate. Coakley was out of sight for over five days over Christmas. She's trying not to rock the boat and make any mistakes.
For this registered unenrolled moderate voter it's been a deeply disappointing and underwhelming race, with an apathetic electorate which barely turned out for the primary earlier in the month.

I am a political progressive.... The right-wingers themselves demonstrate for you why they are fading off the political scene (albeit with a lot of screaming about "Commie!" "Socialism!" "Hitler!".) They are just too crazy to survive. Evolution is moving on. Bring on the Libertarians!
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Libertarians....also called neoliberals

Thats the rightwingers, the economic neoliberals we have been dealing with since 1973 and the Trilateral Commission formed. The religious fundamentalists, working class patriots, racists and others are just jollied along for the votes, they don't understand economics. But they know a 'free market' must be good, it's free!

Like Pinochet in Chile, President Carter, and all our Presidents after him, adopted Milton Friedman's Libertarianism and all his policies.

Is it not worth the Repulicans to at least support this candidate? We have a massive takeover of the healthcare system in the works. His becomingng elected can help stop the crazy liberals and force a bipatisan approach to this one sided bill. Wake up good people!

From the standpoint of the sociopaths who have taken over the Republican party, it makes no sense for them to spend any money for ANY candidate whom they would immediately repudiate for inadequate selfishness and having the wrong theology of greed, hate, and vitriol.

The reality is that the Republican Party, as it is now constipated, has rejected most of the 20th century and most of the people who live in the United States -- and this is what they WANT. There's a good reason why about the only parts of the country where Republicans still have significant representation are the parts of the country that regularly receive floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, drought as the rewards God sends them for their faith in fundamentalism and rejection of Jesus' teachings.

Why should the GOP waste its money on a losing cause in Taxachusetts? The GOP will get the last laugh in 2012 when this high-tax, low-growth state will be forced to decide which of their 10 liberal congressional representatives they get to eliminate due to redistricting and the loss of a Mass. seat. The GOP will do well in the 2010 midterms with good targets in Nevada, Connecticut, Delaware, Colorado, Pennsylvania, California, North Dakota, and Illinois.

Massachusetts is beyond help. The voters there are so out of touch with reality. They keep electing democrats who feed on them like vampire bats and it's not painful until the organs began to fail. Why will the majority in a state keep poking themselves in the eye with a pointy stick. Now is a good time to break with that tradition.

This is an incredibly important election. We need to stop this monstrosity of a health care bill that will only hasten the Nation's bankruptcy. Then there is the cap and trade vote waiting that will be the largest tax increase in our Nation's history. Then there is the plan to grant amnesty to illegal aliens.

All of this are on the Senate agenda. Vote for Scott Brown and put a road block on this. We can drain the rest of the swamp in DC in 2010 and 2012.